Licenensing act 2003
repeal the licensing act 2003
Why is this idea important?
repeal the licensing act 2003
Charge for A&E care if a person is intoxicated.
If a person requiring A&E care is intoxicated to such an extent that their being drunk is a contributary factor in their requiring emergency treatment, then that person should be made to take responsibility for their actions and face the financial consequences for their actions.
Why is this idea important?
If a person requiring A&E care is intoxicated to such an extent that their being drunk is a contributary factor in their requiring emergency treatment, then that person should be made to take responsibility for their actions and face the financial consequences for their actions.
Abolish the ‘Challenge 21/25’ requirements when buying alcohol
I would like to propose that the 'challenge 21' or in some cases 'challenge 25' requirements when purchasing alcohol be repealed.
Currently, the legal age to purchase alcohol in a shop is 18. However, the law requires that employees challenge anyone who appears to be under 21, or 25 in some cases, to provide ID before they can purchase alcohol.
These regulations lead to a creeping criminalisation of people's legal right to enjoy an alcoholic drink, and foster a culture of suspicion and mistrust by enshrining in law the assumption that a customer is attempting to purchase alcohol illegally, and requiring them to prove otherwise.
The poorly thought out nature of this law has lead to its over-zealous application in numerous instances – there have been no shortage of reports in the media of people who are clearly and unquestionably over 18 – in some cases quite evidently of pensionable age – being denied alcohol because they do not have, or cannot provide, a passport, driving licence or the one specific type of ID card permitted; and even cases where parents accompanied on a shopping trip by their children have been denied their purchase, despite showing the required ID, on the pretext that the children might drink the alcohol!
In addition, the law criminalises employers and employees who fail to check a customer's ID.
Why is this idea important?
I would like to propose that the 'challenge 21' or in some cases 'challenge 25' requirements when purchasing alcohol be repealed.
Currently, the legal age to purchase alcohol in a shop is 18. However, the law requires that employees challenge anyone who appears to be under 21, or 25 in some cases, to provide ID before they can purchase alcohol.
These regulations lead to a creeping criminalisation of people's legal right to enjoy an alcoholic drink, and foster a culture of suspicion and mistrust by enshrining in law the assumption that a customer is attempting to purchase alcohol illegally, and requiring them to prove otherwise.
The poorly thought out nature of this law has lead to its over-zealous application in numerous instances – there have been no shortage of reports in the media of people who are clearly and unquestionably over 18 – in some cases quite evidently of pensionable age – being denied alcohol because they do not have, or cannot provide, a passport, driving licence or the one specific type of ID card permitted; and even cases where parents accompanied on a shopping trip by their children have been denied their purchase, despite showing the required ID, on the pretext that the children might drink the alcohol!
In addition, the law criminalises employers and employees who fail to check a customer's ID.
Dealing with Binge Drinking
Binge Drinking is a problem but it seems the standard view of let’s make things more expensive is not the right way. Some of the recent suggestions about banning cheap alcohol etc only go to punish the majority of responsible drinkers due to the stupidity of the minority and reducing drinking hours again punishes everyone for the stupidity of the minority. I suggest a stronger stance is taking on those that break the law or should I say commit a minor offence such as drunk and disorderly. To achieve this I think a few minor changes could be made to the current legal system to provide a more suitable and cost effective way to deal with not only this but other minor offenses.
- Create (if it does not exist) a minor offences court system. This would be a minimal court with a judge or other suitable person who is able to pass law. And several court officials to represent both defence and prosecution aspects.
These would deal with minor offences and would be limited to what punishments they can award. Mainly covering pre-defined fines, community service and curfews by the use of ankle tags. If they feel an offense is more serious, they would refer it to a higher court to deal with.
- Give the Police more discretional powers to deal with minor offences, as they see fits the circumstances of the situation. There powers would allow them to give out warnings, police cautions and pre-defined fines. Very similar to what they already can do but make sure there is minimal paper work needed to cover this. Or a team within each police station that purely deals with the administration aspect, to allow police officers to be on the street and not stuck at a desk. That said if they feel they are dealing with a minor offence that is a bit more serious or a repeat offender, they could still pass this to the minor offence court for a higher punishment.
So how to deal with binge drinking.
If a person is causing problems due to excessive alcohol, the police have several options to deal with this. They give a warning or a fixed fine (£60 sounds the norm). If a fixed fine the person has 28 days to appeal and that is dealt with in the minor court. All they need is a statement from the person and from the police and they make the decision. If guilty the fine stands and the person also covers court costs at a standard sensible set rate. If found not guilty then it is dismissed and removed from their record.
For repeat offenders, then the police have the option to give a police caution or additional (£60) fines up to a maximum of 3 times. After this it is an automatic referral to minor court and the normal next stage would be Community Service. A good job would be cleaning the streets in their local town early on a weekend morning after the mess created from night outs. They should wear orange overalls that say community service on the back or something like that so people can easily see they are doing community service. The minor court could also award mandatory sessions to look into if the person has some kind of alcohol addiction and if help is needed to overcome that. Again they could get up to 3 lots of community service, starting at something like 10 hours and increasing to 50 then 100. If this person continues to offend then the next stage is curfew. Again 3 times, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and restrict them so they are not allowed to go out on a night drinking in town. If they break curfew then that is dealt with the same way as any other instance of this. If they still continue to repeat offend then a prison sentence, which is a bit extreme but they will have had plenty of chance to mend their ways before now.
As these would be classed as minor offences if a person mends their ways, then the offences are dismissed and removed from their police record after a certain period of time.
Cautions, fines – dismissed and removed after 3 months of not re-offending
Community Service – dismissed and removed after 6 months of not re-offending
Curfew – dismissed and removed after 1 year of not re-offending
Why is this idea important?
Binge Drinking is a problem but it seems the standard view of let’s make things more expensive is not the right way. Some of the recent suggestions about banning cheap alcohol etc only go to punish the majority of responsible drinkers due to the stupidity of the minority and reducing drinking hours again punishes everyone for the stupidity of the minority. I suggest a stronger stance is taking on those that break the law or should I say commit a minor offence such as drunk and disorderly. To achieve this I think a few minor changes could be made to the current legal system to provide a more suitable and cost effective way to deal with not only this but other minor offenses.
- Create (if it does not exist) a minor offences court system. This would be a minimal court with a judge or other suitable person who is able to pass law. And several court officials to represent both defence and prosecution aspects.
These would deal with minor offences and would be limited to what punishments they can award. Mainly covering pre-defined fines, community service and curfews by the use of ankle tags. If they feel an offense is more serious, they would refer it to a higher court to deal with.
- Give the Police more discretional powers to deal with minor offences, as they see fits the circumstances of the situation. There powers would allow them to give out warnings, police cautions and pre-defined fines. Very similar to what they already can do but make sure there is minimal paper work needed to cover this. Or a team within each police station that purely deals with the administration aspect, to allow police officers to be on the street and not stuck at a desk. That said if they feel they are dealing with a minor offence that is a bit more serious or a repeat offender, they could still pass this to the minor offence court for a higher punishment.
So how to deal with binge drinking.
If a person is causing problems due to excessive alcohol, the police have several options to deal with this. They give a warning or a fixed fine (£60 sounds the norm). If a fixed fine the person has 28 days to appeal and that is dealt with in the minor court. All they need is a statement from the person and from the police and they make the decision. If guilty the fine stands and the person also covers court costs at a standard sensible set rate. If found not guilty then it is dismissed and removed from their record.
For repeat offenders, then the police have the option to give a police caution or additional (£60) fines up to a maximum of 3 times. After this it is an automatic referral to minor court and the normal next stage would be Community Service. A good job would be cleaning the streets in their local town early on a weekend morning after the mess created from night outs. They should wear orange overalls that say community service on the back or something like that so people can easily see they are doing community service. The minor court could also award mandatory sessions to look into if the person has some kind of alcohol addiction and if help is needed to overcome that. Again they could get up to 3 lots of community service, starting at something like 10 hours and increasing to 50 then 100. If this person continues to offend then the next stage is curfew. Again 3 times, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and restrict them so they are not allowed to go out on a night drinking in town. If they break curfew then that is dealt with the same way as any other instance of this. If they still continue to repeat offend then a prison sentence, which is a bit extreme but they will have had plenty of chance to mend their ways before now.
As these would be classed as minor offences if a person mends their ways, then the offences are dismissed and removed from their police record after a certain period of time.
Cautions, fines – dismissed and removed after 3 months of not re-offending
Community Service – dismissed and removed after 6 months of not re-offending
Curfew – dismissed and removed after 1 year of not re-offending
Reduce Alcohol Duty for On-Sales and Increase Duty for Off Sales
To reduce duty for 'On Sales', (pint of, glass of etc) by 50% and add duty to off sales (cans off, grates of, packs of etc.) by 70%
Why is this idea important?
To reduce duty for 'On Sales', (pint of, glass of etc) by 50% and add duty to off sales (cans off, grates of, packs of etc.) by 70%
MAKE IT COMPULSORY FOR ALL LICENCED PREMISES TO OFFER AT LEAST ONE NON-ALCOHOLIC BEER
Like many people my social life is centred around pubs, bars and restaurants , but when I was diagnosed with a liver issue at the beginning of this year I became teetotal.
It was only then that I realised how few pubs and bars in the UK sell non-alcoholic beers (and often accompany this message with a suppressed snigger that someone could want such a thing).
This rather archaic approach is completely in contrast to the Continent. I travel to France, Spain and Switzerland regularly and it is very rare to find any bar that does not sell at least one version of a non-alcoholic beer. The irony is, that because of this, the selection and quality are far superior to that which can be found in the UK.
Given the Governments drive to improve our health and cut down on drinking and driving it would seem that my suggestion could only provide positive benefits.
Why is this idea important?
Like many people my social life is centred around pubs, bars and restaurants , but when I was diagnosed with a liver issue at the beginning of this year I became teetotal.
It was only then that I realised how few pubs and bars in the UK sell non-alcoholic beers (and often accompany this message with a suppressed snigger that someone could want such a thing).
This rather archaic approach is completely in contrast to the Continent. I travel to France, Spain and Switzerland regularly and it is very rare to find any bar that does not sell at least one version of a non-alcoholic beer. The irony is, that because of this, the selection and quality are far superior to that which can be found in the UK.
Given the Governments drive to improve our health and cut down on drinking and driving it would seem that my suggestion could only provide positive benefits.
Stop criminalising a small glass of wine for children at dinner time.
It has recently been made illegal for parents to let children have a small glass of wine at dinner, even on special occasions. This insults everyone who behaves responsibly with drink, which is the vast majority of people.
When I was a child my sister and I occasionally had wine with dinner. Contrary to the claims of Labour MPs, I did not become a hardened binge drinker. (I rarely drink at all.)
As usual, this law just criminalises decent people, because those who don't care simply won't obey it anyway.
It's not child abuse to let your kids have a small drink of wine with an evening meal, so this law should be scrapped.
Why is this idea important?
It has recently been made illegal for parents to let children have a small glass of wine at dinner, even on special occasions. This insults everyone who behaves responsibly with drink, which is the vast majority of people.
When I was a child my sister and I occasionally had wine with dinner. Contrary to the claims of Labour MPs, I did not become a hardened binge drinker. (I rarely drink at all.)
As usual, this law just criminalises decent people, because those who don't care simply won't obey it anyway.
It's not child abuse to let your kids have a small drink of wine with an evening meal, so this law should be scrapped.
Scrap 24 hour drinking
Scrap 24 hour drinking – end of!
Why is this idea important?
Scrap 24 hour drinking – end of!
24 hour pub licences
Scrap it…..and put it back to how it was
Why is this idea important?
Scrap it…..and put it back to how it was
review the licencing laws and 24 hour drinking
Review the proposition that 24 hour hour drinking would bring a cafe culture to our town centres and relieve the pressure on the police. Both promises have not materialised.
Why is this idea important?
Review the proposition that 24 hour hour drinking would bring a cafe culture to our town centres and relieve the pressure on the police. Both promises have not materialised.
Relax the Repressive Closing times on UK Pubs and Change the Attitude Towards Binge Drinking
Having worked all over the world I believe that the UK laws on licensing are among the most repressive in the western world. This was illustrated recently when I had some French friends visit and we had to leave the pub at 11pm on a friday. They couldn't believe this was actually the law here and joked 'It's really funny that your government treat you like children'. I can understand what they think. It's frankly embarrassing.
Anywhere else in Europe, Pub opening times are at the discretion of the vender and not the government. And why not? Surely that is the basic freedom that everyone should have? In fact I can tell you that elsewhere in Europe generally people don't even head to the pubs until after 11.
I work all week and pay my tax's like an adult and I'd also like to be treated by my government as an adult. I think if you are worried about noise levels from pubs then the answer is simple. Don't live next to a pub. I think that people should be given the freedom to drink responsibly when they like and the vender should have the freedom to sell when they want without all the bureaucracy that goes with it. Surly that is basic rights of freedom?
For the first few months things would be crazy. The British people have been living in a 'nanny state' and have not been given the freedom to have a drink when they want. The attitude now is to drink as much as possible as quickly as possible before the bar shuts. If the law was relaxed, after a crossover period, I am positive this will change the attitude of the British people towards binge drinking resulting in more responsible consumption of alcohol over a longer period of time. My theory is that if you treat people like adults, then they will start acting like adults.
I would call upon this government to please give both the people and the landlords of this country the basic rights that the rest of Europe and the western world enjoy in regards to pub closing times.
Why is this idea important?
Having worked all over the world I believe that the UK laws on licensing are among the most repressive in the western world. This was illustrated recently when I had some French friends visit and we had to leave the pub at 11pm on a friday. They couldn't believe this was actually the law here and joked 'It's really funny that your government treat you like children'. I can understand what they think. It's frankly embarrassing.
Anywhere else in Europe, Pub opening times are at the discretion of the vender and not the government. And why not? Surely that is the basic freedom that everyone should have? In fact I can tell you that elsewhere in Europe generally people don't even head to the pubs until after 11.
I work all week and pay my tax's like an adult and I'd also like to be treated by my government as an adult. I think if you are worried about noise levels from pubs then the answer is simple. Don't live next to a pub. I think that people should be given the freedom to drink responsibly when they like and the vender should have the freedom to sell when they want without all the bureaucracy that goes with it. Surly that is basic rights of freedom?
For the first few months things would be crazy. The British people have been living in a 'nanny state' and have not been given the freedom to have a drink when they want. The attitude now is to drink as much as possible as quickly as possible before the bar shuts. If the law was relaxed, after a crossover period, I am positive this will change the attitude of the British people towards binge drinking resulting in more responsible consumption of alcohol over a longer period of time. My theory is that if you treat people like adults, then they will start acting like adults.
I would call upon this government to please give both the people and the landlords of this country the basic rights that the rest of Europe and the western world enjoy in regards to pub closing times.
Abolish Alcohol Control Zones
Remove the power for local authorities to introduce alcohol control zones.
People should be free to drink outside a pub or in the park as long as they are not creating a niusance. Some local authorities (such as Greenwich) are considering using this power to ban drinking in all public areas. There is already a ban in Greenwich town centre and it has ruinied one of my favourite pubs there as we can no longer stand outside in the sunshine with our drinks in the summer.
Why is this idea important?
Remove the power for local authorities to introduce alcohol control zones.
People should be free to drink outside a pub or in the park as long as they are not creating a niusance. Some local authorities (such as Greenwich) are considering using this power to ban drinking in all public areas. There is already a ban in Greenwich town centre and it has ruinied one of my favourite pubs there as we can no longer stand outside in the sunshine with our drinks in the summer.
Raise the drinking age to 21
The drinking age needs to be reviewed. If anyone is found to be drunk and disorderly (and many are) give them an on-the-spot hefty fine!
Why is this idea important?
The drinking age needs to be reviewed. If anyone is found to be drunk and disorderly (and many are) give them an on-the-spot hefty fine!
repeal the control of alcohol at sports ground act
Football stadia are now the only "designated" sports grounds where this act applies.
The law is outdated and while relevant when it was introduced, now seems restrictive and unfair to the vast majority of Football fans.
Why is this idea important?
Football stadia are now the only "designated" sports grounds where this act applies.
The law is outdated and while relevant when it was introduced, now seems restrictive and unfair to the vast majority of Football fans.